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m moved Blue (LeAnn Rimes song) to Blue (LeAnn Rimes single) over redirect: Song was not written by LeAnn, but by Mack.
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Not to be confused with Blue (LeAnn Rimes album).
"Blue"
Song
B-side"The Light in Your Eyes"

"Blue" is the title of the debut single released by American country music singer, LeAnn Rimes, released in 1996 from her debut album of the same name (1996). It featured the song Blue written in 1956 by radio and country music personaity Bill Mack who helped Rimes to achieve stardom at 13 years old.

"The Light in Your Eyes" was originally slated to be the A-side of LeAnn's first single, for which she also filmed her first video. A clip of the originally-intended B-side "Blue" was only included as a ten-second tag on the promo record sent to radio stations, but when disc jockeys responded more favorably to "Blue", the A and B sides were reversed and it became her first single instead.

This song was also covered by Haley Reinhart in the tenth installment of American Idol and received critical acclaim from judges and fans of the show.

Background

Although it was claimed that Mack had been waiting to find the right vocalist to record "Blue" for all that time, the song was recorded by at least four artists (Mack himself, Roy Drusky, Kathryn Pitt and Kenny Roberts) before Rimes.[3]

She first recorded the song when she was 11, on an independent album, All That (1994), under the label Nor Va Jak.[4][5] The song was re-recorded for Blue as her voice matured (as she was 13 at the time of the single's release in 1996.)[6] Rimes was compared to other former teenage country performers, including 50s singer Brenda Lee and 70s Outlaw country singer, Tanya Tucker. Many of Rimes' songs were adult-sounding songs, including "Blue," as were later releases.[7]

Rimes re-recorded the song for her new album, Lady & Gentlemen, which was released on September 27, 2011. The song is credited with Time Jumpers and is produced by Darrell Brown and Rimes herself.[8]

Composition

"Blue" (1996)
A twenty-eight second sample of Rimes' "Blue", featuring the lyrics,
"Blue
Oh, so lonesome for you
Why can't you be blue over me?"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Blue" is a ballad about a lonely woman who is wondering why her lover can't be blue or lonely over her. However she later realizes, that words her lover had whispered were only lies:

"Blue
Oh, so lonesome for you
Why can't you be blue over me?"[citation needed]

Critical Reception

Shawn Haney of Allmusic called the song a "sleeper hit" and that is was a "radio-friendly airplay single" and claimed that the song should "affect listeners in a charismatic and lighthearted way."[9]

When re-released on Lady & Gentlemen Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called the new recording "illustrates just how far she’s come -- how she’s become a stronger, more nuanced singer over the years."[10]

Chart performance

"Blue" debuted at #49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of May 25, 1996. The single was released to country radio in 1996 and became a major hit that summer,[3] peaking at #10 on the Billboard Country Chart and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100, while also reaching #1 on the Canadian Country RPM singles chart. Her album of the same was also released the same year and sold 123,000 copies within its first week, eventually selling six million copies (6× Multi-Platinum) in the United States.

Music Video

The music video featured Rimes sitting by a pool in the summer with sunglasses on, while a young boy passes her by.[11] It debuted on CMT's Top 20 Video Countdown in 1996.[citation needed]

Track listing

US CD single[1]

  1. "Blue" – 2:47
  2. "The Light in Your Eyes" – 3:20

UK Maxi CD single[12]

  1. "Blue" – 2:47
  2. "How Do I Live" – 4:27
  3. "Undeniable" – 3:44

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b "Blue / The Light in Your Eyes: LeAnn Rimes: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  2. ^ "Blue/The Light In Your Eyes: Leann Rimes: Music". Amazon.com. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  3. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Biography - LeAnn Rimes". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  4. ^ "All That: LeAnn Rimes: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  5. ^ All That (Media notes). Nor Va Jak. 1994. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |publisherid= ignored (help)
  6. ^ CMT Inside Fame: LeAnn Rimes CMT (2004-4-12) Retrieved 2011-10-8
  7. ^ Wolff, Kurt (2000). "13". In Orla Duane (ed.). Country Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides ltd. pp. 540–541. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ^ Lady & Gentlemen (Media notes). Curb Records. 2011. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |publisherid= ignored (help)
  9. ^ Haney, Shawn M. "Blue - LeAnn Rimes". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  10. ^ Thomas, Stephen (2011-09-27). "Lady & Gentlemen - LeAnn Rimes". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  11. ^ "Videos : LeAnn Rimes : Blue". CMT. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  12. ^ UK Maxi CD single references:
  13. ^ "LeAnn Rimes – Blue". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  14. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  15. ^ "Leann Rimes - Blue". Chart Stats. 1999-01-16. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  16. ^ "LeAnn Rimes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  17. ^ "LeAnn Rimes Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  18. ^ "American single certifications – LeAnn Rimes – Blue". Recording Industry Association of America.
Preceded by RPM Country Tracks
number-one single
July 29-August 5, 1996 		Succeeded by
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